


Parchment

by rngrdead



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 23:25:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2044191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rngrdead/pseuds/rngrdead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: There was a spell and a book and then... it all went 'pear shaped' and he ended up on paper! Perhaps Spike can help? But with what consequences?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parchment

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: Canon is Post S7 BtVS and S5 AtS.  
> Harsh circumstances and difficult start as always with Daisy the muse....
> 
> Don't own the characters or in any way receive money for them - they belong to Joss and Co. at Mutant Enemy

Part 1

 

He should have known… it had only been a trifle, a simple spell to get him a ‘partner’ for the afternoon - All Hallow's Eve dance, he’d only been in England two weeks when the message came via Email – but it did say ‘and friend’ on the card. There was an expectation. He 'faked it' to the newly returned Willow and new friend Arial when he visited. He promised to be there, asked to use the library and said he would be back in a couple of days.

He had indeed used the library and was in the 'Ancient texts' section as he attempted to conjure a 'friend'. Instead a flash occured when he read the strange Latin words aloud. 

Suddenly it was him looking at her, who was now whole, from the book that she slammed shut in disgust and thrust back onto the shelf and took off into the night. She was free at last from her curse. And so… he was as she had been, illustrated, nude, leaning half turned against a settee in an eighteenth century boudoir, with a permanent semi smirk.

When the book was closed he could relax, fall to the floor, his sepia toned form able to rest for a time but each time the book opened he found himself back in ‘his pose’ instantly (and sometimes painfully). 

And for the past eighteen months the senior girls and boys of the coven had opened the page and ‘added’ to his illustration. It was so easy to do – and the page became quite well worn as the ‘nude dude’ was admired and ‘enhanced'.

He watched sadly as his private parts were wreathed in badly drawn flowers, then strapped tight with leather by a pair of giggling wiccans and the previous ‘nipple rings’ somebody had given him were enlarged and now had a large ‘stone’ hanging on each of them. His hair had been lengthened until it was cascading down his back and over his eyes in bunches of rich curls, and he had a thick earring added. Some week or so later another student drew in a collar and the boy’s best mate had enthusiastically added in cuffs on Xander’s wrists and ankles and thick chains between them all. 

It made his ‘down times’ when the book was closed humiliating. The flowers were silly but there permanently; the leather cock ring way too tight; the collar and cuffs all joined by the chains so now stretching out was no longer an option; and the nipple weights were just… well they hurt! 

The final straw for Xander, however, was the tail someone added, a very long horse like one that hung from somewhere at the base of his spine, and added to that, a crudely drawn sign at his feet reading ‘ready for riding’. The bit and bridle on his face meant nothing after that and the illustration looked out at its readers with pleading eyes from that day on. If they would just rip out and burn the page...

Spike was still reeling from his loss of Angel and too many others after the Black Thorn incident. He ended up back in England and had been recuperating at the coven Willow had attended. It seemed logical – and he had a standing invitation – in itself unusual, but after the Black Thorn fight and the demise of all he loved, he had chosen to head ‘home’ and was surprised to find Willow too had returned to England (sans Kennedy – their parting company never discussed).

A vampire at a coven was unconventional to say the least, but Spike actually came to enjoy teaching ‘the bloody white hats’ a spot or two of sparring technique and occasionally had to ‘fill in’ for the staff in a couple of magic classes.

It was in just such a class that he saw *the* picture. 

*Harris* it was unmistakeable – sure a little on the ‘modified by juvenile fetish’ side but strangely him! He didn't mention it to Willow, instead grabbed the book, shoved it in his duster and headed for his room – well the barn really but it was *his* space for now.

Spike was no slouch at Latin and read the spell, then knew. Knew enough not to read the spell aloud! Or he would be the one being graffiti-ed by Willow’s would be acolytes.

Under the cover of numerous bales of hay, he whispered a counter spell. After a hundred and close on fifty years he was actually quite good at magic, and his own classical studies helped no end, plus there had been lessons under Angelus...

Seconds later the illustration was gone, and a very in-full-colour, very real ex Scoobie… the ‘Slayer’s Boy’ knelt in front of him, confused and breathing hard, and with… ‘enhancements’ (as per illustration).

 

Part 2

“Well Harris… there’s a surprise… and aren’t you just a treat! All trussed up like the Christmas turkey. And… Bloody hell! A tail???!!!! A *real* tail… what demon gifted you… Hang on…”

Spike eased out the rather strangely *drawn* bridle and bit and Xander coughed then spat hard, but then turned his face to the ground, his long locks now cascading and used as cover as he cried.

How could he explain… there was no explanation regarding his… lack of attire… and his new adornments… his new appendages. His ears were now pointed, and pierced; his nipples were similarly impaled; he was cuffed and chained with his nether regions covered in festive naïve style flowers and a tight leather cock ring; he had a *real* tail; and his ‘entrance’ was apparently begging to be ridden, open and pulsing for the main event. Who wouldn’t shed a few tears.

But it was the words “G#$% Pet you’re bloody beautiful!” Xander was already on the floor on all fours, his chains dictating the position. And he begged in that moment to any deity he could think of… *hoped* the vampire would drain him… oblivion better than… 

Then the white haired *Bast#@%* began to stroke the underside of his tail, and a little beyond, while another hand relieved his nipples of their weights and massaged them before the hand on his tail shifted and began to take great delight in *very* slowly removing the binding from his nether regions… very… very… slowly.

Xander almost wished he was a picture again. 

But as the stupid flowers were quite gently removed and his chains broken with vampire strength, he no longer objected to his rescuer’s attentions.

The gruff “Harris You arse!” was nothing as he melted into the soft feel of the cool vampire’s skin, accepted he was still bound in some fashion but now a willing participant as the tail was lifted, butt ‘enhancement’ removed and he was entered.

The tail, held and stroked as it was… and so released from his various bindings… he could not help but release within seconds. It was like he was sixteen! 

Within seconds of the vampire riding and releasing he felt the sting of a bite near his shoulder and instinctively took his wrist… then he was kissed *so* kissed!! 

With no touch he rutted slightly and came as the underside of the tail was stroked again… there was no control.

Xander would have cursed but his saviour, his tormentor felt it coming and knew… 

Spike invoked the spell again. As he desperatly melted back into his book, Xander heard, “You’ll be safe with me Luv – ‘M a right fine drawer…” then his page was torn from the book and shoved between Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ and Homer’s ‘Illiad’ on Spike’s shelf.

The volume was returned to the Coven shelves minus a page.

A day or two later, Xander’s page was pulled from between the volumes. It was late afternoon and under the stare of a bright reading lamp he felt odd as his muscles were meticulously made more defined, a thick leather gag was drawn in, his eyelashes were made just a little longer, and his tail was made thicker and a far more ‘natural’ looking appendage. 

“Ahhh Pet aren’t you a treasure… Let’s see how you enjoy this lot…”

As an after thought, Spike drew in a cock ring and re-defined his drawing’s penis to be a very ‘interested’ member then invoked the reversal spell. Xander wanted to scream… those words again!

This time he emerged so hard he could hardly think. His body was as taut and toned as any male porn star and his tail responded to the most slight of strokes. Every touch, had him working against his cock ring.

The chains between wrist and ankles still held him fast and the gag prevented all but the most basic of whimpers, but at least his nipples had some relief from their hefty load and associated pain.

But now there was a new problem. Spike stroked his tail and perineum until he was in pain, then released his cock ring at the same time as he shoved something hard and long and slim and lubed up his arse. And within minutes of coming, he was back on his parchment in sepia, member at half mast and cock ring in place, and tail rather ‘ruffled’, and unseen to any who picked up the picture, a lubed plug jammed in his rear.

 

That night and for the two after, as he collapsed on his page between the volumes, the plug pushed on something inside… and ‘full’ became incredibly *hot*and frustrating.

Eventually his illustrator returned but there was no release, rather, an inebriated Spike redrew his nipple rings as clamps, rubbed out the chains to his manacles and redrew them so they attached nipples to his cock ring, and as an after thought made the cock ring into a vibrator egg that stimulated balls and cock and as it turned out the base of his tail, then drew in the control device, dialled to 10 on the ground beside the male figure.

Spike extended his illustrated fingernails then coloured each black before he snorted at his resulting diagram and tucked it away again.

On a whim he pulled out the picture on the anniversary of Angel’s death and invoked the reversal.

A panting brunette landed at his feet. Plug in place, vibrator working and tail arched and twitching with the stimulation. 

Spike took pity on the figure and took off the gag he had so easily illustrated on the pretty face then grinned as the man moaned relief, cried out then begged as his release was stifled and erection turned purple under the torment. “Oh please… please just… dial it down or rub it out or… or… *please*.”

Spike took pity, stripped off the cock-ring come vibrator and watched in mild amusement as the man fell forward and rocked back and forth for a moment on all fours then plastered the floor under him with spunk, kept rocking and dry twitched a second orgasm within seconds. 

By the time Spike attended the abused nipples and released the clamps he had so carefully illustrated, the man had his forehead on leather manacled arms, his tail had fallen limp, his member hung small and listless and he was crying silently.

“Just draw me into something else… not this… don’t mind the tail… like it even but not all the other… Please Spike *please*… Rub me out… something!”

Spike waited for him to calm. “What if ya trust me a little Pet… let me take ya t’ places you never thought were possible… seems as though we have that chance?”

“Anything! Just no more *toys*.”

That evening his illustration was altered. There were no more toys (apart from the plug), but there was now pale brown fur covering his legs and a new pair of pointed ears in place, plus his collar had suddenly gained a very significant ring and a leash fastening him to the floor.

He rested reasonably comfortably that evening his page tucked into an old version of David Copperfield.

A day later he was rather dismayed to be tugged out and find his feet replaced by rather well drawn hooves along with an adjustment of the alignment of his thighs and calves changed to reflect… a faun.

Spike finished his efforts by giving Xander small horns. The brunette curls that matched his tail were still there but the horns were unmistakable.

“Pretty as a picture Pet…” Then Spike again tucked him away for two days, Xander still wondering what the new form was… and then it was suddenly too bright and a rather drunk Spike invoked the reversal spell and he rose from the page, this time standing with difficulty as he adjusted to his newly drawn form.

Spike was unrepentant and actually… chuffed. He pressed the new faun against the back of the settee, pulled out the plug and drove inside with no thought other than release. Licking the tips of the ears and stroking the base of the horns, then caressing the underside of the tail!?!! Xander found himself utterly out of control and came twice in quick succession. His recovery time consistent with the magical creature he had been drawn as. Spike filled him, kissed him, and gave him no time to consider what had just happened before calling in the spell again.

This time he was shoved between the covers of Ivanhoe and the Scarlet Pimpernel, and it was a picture of a debauched faun lying across a large log in the forest that graced his parchment. The tail was now thick, luxurious and ‘working’, an erogenous zone a human could only struggle to imagine; the hooves, not so wanted but manageable; and the ear tips… well see above tail.

It was a week before Spike felt inspired to draw again. 

 

Part 3

On his next effort he replaced the hooves with cat like paws, lengthened the tail… just a little, changed the ‘privates’ to fur covered, then left the drawing for another couple of days. Xander was dismayed by his lower limbs as he collapsed that night, but thankful he still possessed opposable thumbs… that was something.

He still had the torso of a human but Spike had added more fur and now the line of fur began in the middle of his chest and simply widened at his hips to cover his feline legs. Spike had contemplated changing the tail to match the legs but liked the silky locks that fell so prettily between the boy’s legs. He did rub out the horns, but added whiskers.

He was again left for a few days before Spike pulled him out reversed his curse and stroked ears and tail – and now whiskers - all the while stroking and rubbing his fur covered shaft until the centre extended its pink head and a poor Xander simply begged for the plug to be removed and he be filled. It was easier to keep purchase on the floor with padded feet and the stroking of the fur on his chest after congress… just blissful. His whiskers twitched without his conscious control as Spike sagged against his back and kept stroking his soft pelt.

He was returned to the page too soon but no further alterations were made for a month and he was ‘evoked’ almost nightly in his cat like form. He had almost come to like the furry member between his legs, and certainly enjoyed the whiskers, but his legs bending the other way - it was still too strange.

He might have worried then, but Spike’s next effort was disastrous. After a rather drunken (very successful) game of kitten poker with the local demon crew, he took out the illustration and rubbed out all the fur he had covered the lower body with, and the paws and the whiskers and even his tail, leaving the original pale ink drawing of a man. Xander was somewhat relieved though actually had quite liked the tail.

Spike giggled a little, then drew around the outside of Xander’s body and legs from his waist down, binding them all together in by sketching in a tail similar to that of a large carp and covering it with pretty scales. He drew around the hands changing them to large fins. He looked rather attractive as a merman. But it didn’t work at all and as soon as he invoked the spell Xander fell to the floor and flopped rather inelegantly, gasping for air for some reason. Spike revoked the spell immediately condemning the illustration to his page in the form of a merman for over a week whilst the vampire had a good think.

After ten days of struggle, of flopping around on the floor of his picture in his new form, wishing for *any* sort of set of legs, he was pulled out again and had human appendages restored – with a few additions. 

His hair was still long and luxurious; his finger and toe nails were painted; and his legs and figure made ‘shapely’… very shapely… with breasts in fact! And the belt around his waist… he came to in his female form, with the strange belt contraption around his very erect apparently shaved private parts.

“How *could* you Spike?!! Here was me thinking you were being so noble and fixing the fish thing… But this?!! Spike I’m a freak… I’ve got breasts!”

“Too right Pet – and a right nice pair they are too. Just tryin’ t’ expand your horizons. So hows about we have us a little fun, hmm?” 

He pushed Xander to the ground and held him there with one hand while with the other he unbuckled the belt and … he realised Spike had made his private parts into a strap on! To Xander’s horror Penis and scrotum came away with the belt, leaving… nothing. Xander felt down, he definitely had girl parts there too. His erect boy bits were now made of latex and staring at him from over there on the floor!

He felt the prickle of tears beginning and had let a few track down his now slightly thinner face as Spike pushed away his hand and began rubbing the region gently, stroking into the slit and massaging his *clitoris* rhythmically, all the while sucking and licking his nipples and breasts.

Spike could smell the change from fear to lust and watched with amusement as the hips raised a little and wide eyed Xander groaned with genuine pleasure. 

The newly made girl hissed as Spike pushed his finger into the channel and continued to rub and fondle, and Xander realized just how hot and… wet he was feeling down there… and felt he wanted…

“Please Spike…. *Pleassssseee* Oh Gaahhh Please will you…” He bent his legs up and threw them as wide as possible.

“That’s it Pet… all hot and wet and wantin’. No lube needed see… women got that one covered… now just relax and…” With that the finger was replaced by Spike’s member as he plunged in to the hilt.

It wasn’t like anal sex at all, though Xander could feel his other hole twitching with excitement too. There was no prostate to hit but there was something inside and out that urged him to pull Spike in harder, faster. His mouth was being plundered and one of his breasts squeezed and teased. Spike pushed Xander’s right hand down until he could feel Spike sliding in and out.

“Feel that Pet… feel me fillin’ you, now just you rub that spot while I keep goin’ here.” Xander let out a little whimper as he wiggled his finger on the clitoris and felt himself being wound higher and higher. Finally the hand that had been on his breast reached around and a wet finger tapped then entered his rear.

Tingles turned into mind blowing pulsations as he arched back and panted then shouted through an orgasm that just went on and on. Finally Spike came too and Xander could feel the pulses as more of his own wetness joined with Spike’s and he came again… or still he could no longer tell. Spike’s recovery time meant that it was a mere minute or so before he started to move again.

They partnered for what seemed like hours and played with different positions made possible because of Xander’s changed form. But finally he was utterly spent and begged to close his legs and stop. He lay on his back beside the sated vampire and stared at the ceiling just… being … until almost jumping out of his skin when Spike touch his now hyper sensitive nether region again.

“’S OK Luv – just kitting you up again.” And with that returned the belt and strap-on and invoked the spell.

He spent the next three weeks as a female tucked inside a volume of love poems by Emily Dickenson. At least he was human… sort of.

The next time his enthusiastic artist pulled him from between the bound copies of the Oxford Concise Dictionary ‘A – E’ and ‘F – L’ with pencil in hand, he was in for another change. His belt was rubbed out completely – and his form put back to the underlying permanent pen of male human, his tail was back but this time slightly shorter and he had a set of pretty wings added. His illustrator redrew the pointed ears (what was it with Spike and ears!?) and he had his lashes extended even more and his hair was added to, now falling in curly brunette locks between the wings and half way down his back.

His lush tail now sported pale streaks all through, as did his hair, the tail matching the colour of his wings. The new appendages were quite stunning, huge, pale brown in colour and each feather perfectly scribed with dark colouring around the edge making the whole thing look like two magnificent owl wings.

Spike added a few flowers in the hair of the fae in all his ‘endowed areas’ - ‘just for fun’. Again he spent time defining the male muscles.

Rather than the disaster of the merman, or the shock of the female form, this time as Spike invoked the spell, it was the vampire who fell back in shock.

The changed physique, perfect muscles, pretty tresses, the tail, the ears, and good lord(!) the wings that now stretched to more than six feet either side in a magnificent show?!!! 

It was Spike’s turn to kneel, not in supplication but wonder, then found himself lifted from the ground as he was gifted with the warmest, most passionate of kisses.

“I may never join the swim team again, but G$#% Spike… this… these… Please… Please just let me… be?! Put me in the pages, I don’t care, just no more messing with this form… Please?”

After pleasuring the fae former Scoobie, Spike invoked the spell again then carefully traced over all the drawing of the beautiful male faerie with a permanent ink brown pen the ink magically enhanced just like the original. No one could change Xander’s fundamental form now. The simple nude male of the original had been permanently replaced. The wings would stay, as would the pretty tail and the long hair, and of course the defined muscles and attractive face. The paper was then left to dry flat so as not to smudge anything. 

This time rather than pushing the page back into a book, Spike framed the drawing and put it on the wall. The frame was quick release but at least, even as a drawing, this way Xander could see out. It did have the disadvantage of him never being able to move from his position as he was always on show, but at least it wasn’t dark all the time.

After the first ‘outing’ from his frame, he asked that Spike turn him to the wall for some part of each day so he might rest. It worked a treat and when he did relax, he simply stretched out on his stomach – now there was very little option anyway. The feathers were warm and almost covered his form if he spread the wings just a little. He wondered idly if, in all Spike’s illustrating, that he had accidentally been made shorter because the last of his wings now caressed his feet. But everything still seemed to be working as normal (well as normal as any sepia drawing could work). Oh but that first time he stretched the wings to their fullest after Spike left him alone in his prison… it felt… amazing. He had flapped them twice using his trapezius in a combination with lateralis muscles - that worked nicely. 

The muscles of the wings themselves seemed to have a mind of their own. Privately, in his own page, when no-one was looking he stretched and… undulated. It felt *so* good. His nether regions were ‘on high’ whenever the wings stretched but he breathed heavily and managed to lower the mast just a little… well for a while, but if the page, now picture in a frame, was ever in the presence of others, he embarrassingly compelled to the pose of a pretty faerie ready for the taking as he had been drawn – with its constantly fully erect member.

Spike was ‘in absentia’ for some days, his teaching at the coven apparently now taking him in to London. And as Xander became more accustomed to his new additions, he also felt the joy of taking off – only as far as the page would let him, two or three full wing undulations, feet off the ground then the top of the page would hit.

The problem was that the excitement of the takeoff, the joy his illustrator had now provided, brought with it memories of other… times, other things, but really didn’t regret his changes.

He wondered idly if Willow might help his situation were she around – help Spike to counter the curse once and for all, make him a real boy.

………………….

It had now been four years plus since he had stepped into his new world and the girl he had replaced stepped into his. The only person who did not ‘buy’ her story that he had returned to Africa was, of course, Spike. But all the others, including Andrew and Giles, simply seemed to believe the lie – now after four years and no word, they all assumed he did not want to be contactable. Rhiannon, who had an odd magical signature instantly ingratiated herself and seemed to have even Giles in her thrall. Spike wondered if she was some kind of harpie, the black tone of her magic did suggest it, but there was no way to prove it.

Giles sometimes did wonder and worry that Xander was OK but when it was mentioned to Rhiannon, he seemed to lose his train of thought and simply agree with her that he was sure to be alright ‘wherever he was’. Others at the coven all but forgot one Xander Harris, after all he had only been there as short time and left of his own accord.

Willow had returned to Brazil with her new squeeze Lacie mere weeks before being told by Andrew that Xander had apparently returned to Africa, and she simply accepted the news as did other ex Scoobies not at the coven. She was sad that he didn’t write – but then Xander never had been much for writing, and she and Kennedy had kept moving countries so even if he had written – perhaps the only option would be an Email and neither of them were in places where that was particularly accessible.

Spike said nothing of his ‘find’ after rescuing Xander, though had contemplated telling Giles, though every time he did try the black haired Rhiannon seemed to turn up and Giles simply said “Busy at the moment, can we chat another time.” Rhiannon knew she was out of jail free, the incumbent, ensouled, whimpish (in her opinion), vampire had something to say? It would be in her presence.

Eventually, with his lovely faerie relatively happy with his lot, Spike tired of the coven, tired of teaching arrogant upstart wiccans, and decided they needed a fresh start.

Giles visited one sunny Sunday afternoon and actually took the time to sit and have a snifter of brandy musing on old times (some not so pleasant as far as Spike was concerned but he was polite) the day before the moving truck came. He commented in passing on the sketch on the wall, though really didn’t look closely enough to recognise the subject – other than it was a male faerie in a rather provocative pose… and simply thought, “well… vampires”. He also admired the other works of art Spike seemed to have accumulated in his time at the coven in much the same way before being invited to join the vampire in a toast. It was quite nicely civilised, Giles realising belatedly how he really did enjoy the vampire’s company.

Spike had resigned his post earlier that week and spoke of his intention to shift to another locale. “Too much oestrogen an’ all that.”

The line repeated, Giles grinned then gave the same reply as when he accepted Spike’s leaving, “My dear fellow, I imagine with your senses it is far worse a situation than the other males here. What is it you are thinking of doing now?”

“Probably bit ‘o travel. Got meself a bit of a nest egg courtesy o’ you lot and a legitimate job an’ all – and Dru an’ me put a bit away in the day so… should last a while, ‘specially with a bit o’ half inching here and there.”

“Good lord you can’t suggest theft as a way of life?! After the soul and all this time with us and you choose a life of crime?! Spike I thought better…”

“Easy tiger… was talkin’ of skimmin’… you know *blood*… Nickin’ from the outbox a hospitals, few willin’ donors, that sort o’ thing… Bloody hell! Anyone ‘d reckon you were me Mum!”

Xander wished he could change his facial expression and grin wildly as Giles looked decidedly contrite, “Oh, I… yes, well of course… but what of company? Spike you are a social animal, we all know that, the students here even picked up – and it is probably a silly rumour, but they thought you had a ‘friend’… I thought that might be the reason…”

Spike let that one ride just grinned and toasted the old Watcher then said, “Let ‘em think what they like, but let’s just say I won’t be alone.”

“Good lord Spike! How long? Another vampire? But surely the demon population…”

“Nahh, mate… just found me an angel is all…” Xander was so glad of his stiff nether regions at that moment as his heart swelled with love and the picture wished he could move to kiss his illustrator.

“Angel? He’s back?” Spike looked instantly pained and Giles realised his mistake

Spike took a long draft of his brandy then at almost a whisper said, “Can’t bring back dust… never that.”

They sat in silence for a time and Giles saw the stressed sad look in Spike’s face and the slump of a vampire still in grief over the loss of his Grandsire.

“I’m sorry Spike, I just misheard. But you really have found a companion?”

“Yeah you could say that, got the prettiest blonde ‘n brown wings an’ a tail, a right looker, and so yeah, he’s comin’ with.”

Giles was immediately puzzled falconry did seem plausible – anything was with Spike but surely… then he twigged and said under his breath, “Of course an owl, perfect pet… predator and nocturnal.” Spike didn’t bother to comment but let the Watcher think what he wanted and simply raised his glass.

“So not so alone after all.”

“No indeed, indeed… and have you… made preparations for your charge? Will there be any problems with quarantine and the like?”

“Will sort that if it comes up… But one thing… you don’t happen to have Red’s Email address do you? Fancy if we head that way wouldn’t mind sayin’ a hooray.”

Their encounter ended remarkably amicably and a day later Spike was all packed and had Willow's Email address memorised (courtesy of Andrew). 

All his illustrations and paintings came down and would go into storage with his other possessions, bar for one.

Instead he carefully removed the sepia picture from its frame and revoked the spell.

Xander stretched his wings wide and was rewarded with a thorough kissing before returning to his page to be joyfully tucked between the vampire’s T-shirt and the leather coat.

Even as a picture he could appreciate that...

 

Part 4

As a picture he was tiny in comparison to Spike, but in the dark, unobserved, he rolled onto his side and felt the taut chest against his paper… it was heaven and he no longer cared of his circumstance. Whether they travelled at night or during the day in some container ship he felt his illustrator. He was nude, his wings were free to move should he be bothered, and he was leaning against the form he was loved by (as soon as they were alone). So as they travelled, he rested happily against the vampire who whenever the spell was revoked, stroked his tail until it arched up and his wings expanded then took him. 

They travelled across the former Iron Curtain Europe via train, then through Mongolia, and down through the Khyber Pass to New Delhi in the dead of night on a bus that would *never* have passed the RAC roadworthy test – even on a bad day!

Sometimes of late, but only as they were well away from most civilization, he was the one taking, and now on the wing. 

India was a wonderfully religious country and some cities were so crowded and busy that it really was possible to take off unseen. It was the dry season. They flew above of the thick stench that was Hyderabad and enjoyed congress but this time landed observed. 

A tiny child, perhaps six years old, saw the faerie and the still game faced Spike, the sated lover, gently land. Spike was in no state to explain, but Xander (other fae senses slowly developing) turned to the wide eyed boy and simply said, “Shiva’s servants have many forms. Be well… and promise to look after your family.” The tiny boy simply nodded sincerely then sprinted home. His story met with amusement but the promise kept for all time.

The first time their airborn partnering had occurred, Spike had truly been terrified, he’d never been confident with heights – and in truth neither was Xander at first.  
Xander had been relieved of his drawn state and allowed his wings solo to practice a few nights in private as they traversed Mongolia. Now the wings were confident, the balance equally well adjusted, the control perfect, and the experience of rising higher and higher… just wonderful. And now he was able to share it with Spike. 

The vampire learned slowly (and rather shakily) that held by his lover and up nearly one hundred feet added a totally new dimension to their lovemaking. After the third time joining in flight, they had both learned that Spike was best to wrap his legs and arms tightly around his faerie and just let himself… ride… And now… well…what a ride… In the past it was Xander, but now it was Spike who was the rider, stretched then brought to ecstasy, this time in flight and Xander eventually being confident enough to wrap a hand around his partner’s enthusiastic member and thrilled to feel the consequent cool splatter.

Returned to his drawn state, Spike now found himself unable to leave his beloved picture anywhere but against his body, tucking it into a plastic shield, taking the picture to bed with him of a daytime, into his pants as he wandered around their abode shirtless, and always against him as they travelled. He was devoted, as always, and this time had a sane, loving (albeit *drawn* faerie), who returned all his affections. As a consequence he was justifiably terrified of the possibility that he might tear the picture or damaged it somehow… it was just too terrible to contemplate. They *had* to find Willow.

When they travelled by bus through Tibet and into China, Xander was always pressed against Spike’s chest, Spike was conscious of his precious cargo and stroked the back of the drawing every so often, only to reassure himself. Xander felt every pass of the beloved hands through his plastic and wished he could… If he died it would be like this, coddled, loved, caressed by his lover, pushed up against that cool chest to enjoy or simply sleep.

On his last ‘outing’ Xander had *begged* Spike that he be allowed to stay there against Spike’s chest… forever if that was to be his fate. And Spike had agreed – were he on the brink of dusting, he would take the faerie with him.

On two border crossings, the picture had been dragged out, on the Chinese border it was ironically Spike’s French speaking ability and stilted Mandarin that saved them, the bemused border guards grinning and gesticulating at Spike’s panic when they found his secret ‘stash’ during a full body search, the pale Englishman claiming the picture was “By my cousin”. The guards didn’t miss the very aroused nature of the male image and made crude gestures to each other but eventually the picture was returned and Spike was waved through, his fake passport stamped and the guards musing regards weird foreigners and their fetishes (and yes they too had the internet!)

If Spike wanted his beautiful faerie to experience the world then the deal was done, but in some situations it was difficult to be ‘released’. Xander knew they had travelled from Beijing to Jakarta then literally took a stint in a cargo boat to Australia with hardly an evening of him being able to release and fly… but could not have imagined the joy of the next part of the trip.

Spike had never been to Australia, fearing all that sun (even as a human!) but they were on a mission, so took the risk for his darling. Darwin’s nights were incredibly warm… wonderfully so for the vampire, and full of young tourists who were more than happy to have a chat and give up a pint or two of blood… and the night they drove south in the cheap rental, he watched in delight as his the full sized male took to the sky, low enough not to alert the local air traffic control, but high enough to thrill.

They crossed from Katherine to Cairns in a straight line with Xander flying more than he rode in the car. It was wonderful and the stars… They took longer than expected due to too many evenings of stopping the car and making love in a sky under the extraordinarily bright Milky Way. 

In Cairns, Spike booked a night flight across to LA. Timing was everything, though getting out of the LA airport and threatened by any sort of sunshine was an unwarranted worry. In the end with the switch from terminal to terminal, under cover they were very much out of the Californian sun.

Xander felt the connection always. He might have been in the dark but was against his lover’s chest and covered by part of Spike’s attire. Were Spike to dust, he welcomed oblivion… his wings were also his solace all these days of travel and he slept much of the time comforted by the vampire and the feathers.

 

Their flight to Ecuador was fraught with problems, not the least of which was having to land at midday in Quito(!) due to weather, their Guayaquil destination still an hour or more away. 

Luckily the entire plane had to sit patiently on board as the cabin crew reassured and calmed with complimentary drinks.

In the end Spike was thankful. The three hour wait and consequent debacle at the airport meant that he was catching a taxi shortly after sundown. 

Once ensconced in the hotel suite he had pre-booked, Spike he revoked the spell and Xander took off to look around from the roof, just as he did, Willow answered her Email.

She and Lacie were in Peru… and her partner was more than happy to ‘come to’ for an old friend of Willow’s.

Greetings were had and arrangements made and a day later the actual picture scanned and sent, but nothing could have prepared Willow for the reality…

Spike insisted on Xander (who had been nude for over four years now apart from the toys, fur and well scales) try wearing the vampire’s second pair of old blue jeans for the meeting, and though Xander was slimmer than in his past, he simply could not do up the top button, and his tail was really the problem. Spike fell into game face to try to use associated fangs to slice just enough of the back to allow for… but then the jeans were off… and then a tongue was… and a cool shaft was… and Xander was… in hand and *so* glad Willow was running late!

The pants were somewhat in place as the doorbell rang, though he felt a little nude. T-shirts did not come with a ‘wing’ option so in the end he and Spike resolved that he would meet Willow in ‘all his glory’ up top – after all the two had shared a bath or pool in the ‘nuddy’ more than once as youngsters.

But he was not quite ready for the response.

The taxi had arrived just after sundown, the two women got out, the vampire opened the door and kissed the witch then greeted her partner politely, but as they entered Spike caught Willow as her knees buckled. The astonishing part for Xander was that as the concerned faerie also raced to her aid she simply blinked at him in wonder and reached out to tentatively stroke the feathers *he* had so come to love.

Spike ushered the women to the small settee of the hotel room, and Willow did not miss that Xander opted for the ottoman, so his wings could rest and Spike taking the floor beside him, with relaxed ease, resting against his thigh and idly stroking the feathers. She could not but wonder how many times they had sat in such a fashion

“So… no Africa? No… curse… lie… spell… usual screw up…”

“Not.. well… Did Spike?”

Willow nodded and grinned, then slapped his arm, “Now come on Mister… fess up how did all this…”

“ OK… Ummm ‘Illustration’ for near four and a half years now… but… well… Spike saved the day (as usual). But ahhh Wills… He’s figured the temporary reversal spell but we can’t have more than six hours it seems and I… Happy now – like this… with Spike… He’s managed to make the wings and tail permanent. The jeans are just… well just for you… normally I’m…” 

“I know sweetie Spike scanned you and…”

Xander certainly remembered the scanning. Out of his plastic protection then blinding white light and weird… then he was two… well not two really given that his other image was digital but really weird. Minutes later Spike had revoked the spell and the fully formed faerie was staring at the image of himself as the sketch for the first time.  
He blushed a little as he remembered, it had actually been a turn on. 

He moved to stand close enough for Willow to touch him then whispered, “I asked for this... Spike chose the ears… but that’s OK. Umm… do you think it looks…? I never thought…”

Willow reached out to stroke the feathers and as Lacie dared to do the same on his other wing, fascinated by the soft feathers, Xander began to feel unusually unbalanced. Spike heard the heightened heartbeat and put himself behind the faerie, pulling him in tight with strong arms around the trim waist, Xander’s back to his chest, in full view of the wiccans. They moved their hands back as the wings extended then folded to envelope Spike’s back in an act of love and gratitude. 

Spike had been worried he had made a terrible mistake seeking out the witch - so much history – and some of it not involving very successful magic. He was worried that she might try to change Xander back to the Xander of Sunnydale, the one without the wings… the one who hated Spike. 

Instead he was utterly stunned as Willow’s friend stood shook herself hard along with a few words and revealed her true form. It didn’t seem Spike was the only one with a wing fetish. 

Willow smiled wickedly at her Xander and Spike and grabbed Lacie’s hooked thumb tight, and pulling the young winged woman to her in a loving hug.

“Seems we have a few secrets in common hey boys?!”

“Oh Wills! You’re… Lacie is *so*… and…” Her oldest friend in the world began to look decidedly stressed.

“So are you Sweetie… so are you… *beautiful*… I don’t know if I can fix this but… you know Spike… he doesn’t do things by halves… and he *loves* you… Oh Goddess anyone can see that!!! I’ll do anything I can… Sweetie… your wings… you are *so* beautiful…”

Xander stared across as a young woman who no longer had arms but sported bat wings that were nimble enough to wrap around Willow and stroke her with a hooked thumb. The only difference was the girl’s beautiful visage, her pretty looks were marred a little by slight ridges on her brow and pointed ears but she was still extremely attractive (Spike’s demon stirred and thought it downright sexy). Her legs did have a definite joining flap of skin and smaller feet with claws but Xander smiled as he realised that she no doubt used her wings for more than just hugging her partner.

Spike whispered into Xander’s ear, “Reckon you should give Red there a feel ‘o your wing hey? Time to give her a hug don’t you reckon?”

Lacie’s enhanced hearing heard the words clearly and Willow was released and had the edge of a black wing push her gently.

Xander did what Xander of old was always good at and pulled his lifelong friend into a warm hug. Still much taller than her, she was relieved when her ear on his chest registered the strong heartbeat but still surprise as she touched first his long hair, then the start of his… tail and it arched up a little with contact.

He kissed her hair as he felt his tail caressed, belatedly realizing, “Geez Wills, I’ve missed you… Never thought we’d meet again really… As usual my lovely Spike…”

Having released her partner, Lacie was looking a little lost, particularly as her bat form was unable to retract without Willow’s magic boost.

Spike stepped over to her, switched to game face and whispered in Lacey’s ear “Humanity is over-rated.” She jumped back then fell onto the settee as her webbed legs refused to cooperate.

“But… I never… You’re a vampire? Then why do you feel?”

“A soul?... yup got that a while back – on purpose mind… and spent some time as a ghostie, then a real boy… well real as any vampire with a soul… long story doesn’t matter. So what are/were you? Bat girl?” then quickly added, “Don’t get me wrong, right pretty bat girl and Red over there is into that I hear… but?”

The pretty bat/woman smile weakly and simply said, “Maybe some of us are luckier than others… eventually...

“Mother was a wiccan, a rather bad one, and was pregnant when she decided to cast a couple of ‘practice’ spells whilst in training at the coven. ‘Protection of’ the creatures of the night became ‘production of’ and when my sister and I were born well you can see the result… My sister lives in Bournemouth now. She has a permanent change to human, I… well I just… it was risky and I… like… umm…”

“No need to explain Luv. Wouldn’t swap bein’ a vamp for quids… though at the time was a bit of a shock.”

Spike grinned and winked and Lacie thought if she wasn’t into women he might have just won her heart! She stood and kissed the rather surprised, game faced vampire on the temple, then waddled awkwardly over to her quietly spoken lover and pulled her from Xander’s grasp with an insincere growl and a “My girl!”

Spike looked over to his partner who had been shocked enough that his wings were now at full stretch, “You and me both Pet… you and me both.”

Lacie returned to her human form after Willow’s boost and a “Proper snoggin’” according to Spike, and sadly Xander, pants free returned to his illustrated state, though this time, as the picture was tucked into Spike’s jeans, he vaguely felt the vampire’s arousal through the plastic and for the first time slumped down to that point deliberately, and ‘helped himself’.

Spike felt an odd tingle as Xander came, but when he pulled out the picture on a whim, the faerie ‘in waiting for taking’ was in his normal position, and Spike was left to wonder.

Willow was shocked as she listened to the whole story of the drawn Xander’s experiences, horrified by a couple of the incidents, and slapped Spike jolly hard *twice* for the whole ‘girl thing’, Spike’s only defence “Well it was better than a fish!” For which he got a third slap.

Now calm Willow, and Lacie for that matter, were somewhat helpful with suggestions of possible spells but had to investigate more. Both appreciated the worry regards the parchment’s vulnerability, and took away the spell to study further. She and Lacie promised to return the following evening.

Spike booked dinner for four at the hotel restaurant in anticipation. 

He quite enjoyed their company but was also aware that Xander had been exposed (fully) in the middle of the table, helpless and ‘in form’, as he was discussed. Spike wanted to treat his dear partner… and find out about all that tingling! He had his suspicions, but it was new… and he was a curious vampire.

 

Part 5

That evening, before dinner, Spike tugged his dear drawing close and experimented. He stared at his beautiful one’s image and began to pleasure himself, then as he became full and hard, he placed the picture face down directly over his manhood.

Xander felt it, more than ever before. He could feel the hardness, the length… and this time pretended it was part of his own picture as he brought himself to completion… the tingle was enough for an already aroused Spike and he blessed the day he had put the picture into plastic!

There was no change to the picture as he drew it out to revoke the spell again, but he did note a small mark in the shape of a couple of tiny splats of water marring the bottom corner… and wondered. He had a fairly good idea what had happened, now but was still amazed. In the past the drawing had *never* altered other than with the efforts of those outside… now it seemed Xander’s influence… was beginning to permeate the paper.

As he revoked the spell, he was surprised to see Xander at ‘half mast’ and collapse onto his knees immediately panting, wings partially spread like some wounded creature.

Spike was immediately on the floor taking his fae friend in his arms in distress unsure of what he had done. Had the picture been damaged more than he noticed? Had the plastic… leaked? He stroked the feathers, the tail, the hair… anything in desperation and tried to check for any changes.

Xander simply collapsed into the embrace and accepted all caresses in his semi-conscious state, but eventually roused.

He turned his face into Spike’s chest where he was currently being held and *bit* the nipple closest hard.

Spike’s reaction was instant and vampiric with shock. Game face was to the fore and the faerie was pulled away with a vice like grip on the top of his wings where they joined his spine with one hand, and another collecting both wrists and jamming them together as he was pulled off. There was blood on his lips, but still he grinned a little at the shocked vamp.

“Oi! You right bastard!!! What was that for?? Could give a chap a bit o’ warnin’ if you’re gonna play rough… An’ here’s me thinkin’ you’re all ailin’ and stuff… Bloody hell! Now look what you’ve…”

Spike’s demon was loose. He’d bit his own lip, he could smell his blood on Xander and was too out of control. This was his mate, his beautiful winged partner and it was time. This time his soul had no purchase on his actions.

Unlike their other partnerings, this time Xander was forcibly thrown back onto his wings, his tail used to lift his backside up for better access, Spike’s own blood used as lubricant, the plug removed and he driven into in one swift move. What resulted was a fast and furious ‘seeing to’, and a very shocked faerie climaxing as the vampire bit hard into his neck and began to draw blood with a suction Xander had never imagined possible.

Spike came after the second mouthful, realised what he was doing, immediately pulling away in shock but not before his demon forced him to state “Mine”. 

Immediately following the incident, Spike was in human guise again and desperate.  
How could he have let so much control go? And now his beautiful friend was lying, wings splayed out, legs akimbo, tail wet with Spike’s cum and stomach wet with his own, and a neck still dribbling a little blood where Spike had bitten him.

He realized that he had claimed the faerie for all time – but also that it was not necessarily Xander’s choice, and he had *no* idea regards how it might impact on the picture situation, nor whether Willow was versed well enough in Vampiric Law that she might understand the dilemma.

He did the only thing he could do to make it better. He fell back into game face and opened his own wrist offering it to Xander whilst begging his forgiveness. Xander was in a daze but accepted the apology and the wrist. He loved this vampire and really the bite had been… as before he just wished to be with this beautiful blonde for all time. He accepted the wrist and in the same act knew he was accepting the claim and thrilled as something inside seemed to ‘shift’ a little.

Xander lay sated as his lover licked his nether regions clean then did the same for the stomach and the neck and finally lifted him gently and took him for a warm shower, gently hosing down the feathers and cleaning other parts with shampoo and a quiet massage. 

Xander’s original collapse had just been because… well you pleasure yourself three times in succession and… but now when Spike was even nearby it was… it felt… something was definitely different. He couldn’t seem to get his head straight at all. He clung on to his dear vampire and was being pampered and washed and… Oh G#$% he was hard again and as soon as his member was touched by those soap covered hands he came… and for some reason felt compelled to throw his head to the side exposing the bite mark.

He was rewarded with a cool tongue over the soon to be scar and a quiet “I’ve got you love …shhh I’ve got you.” Spike making sure his demon was fully *under control*.

Dry and drowsy, a very compliant Xander was led to the lounge room where Spike managed to dress him in the jeans, some runners and his own duster to cover the wings.

“Red said she’d be able to do a glamour… let’s hope it includes some better fitting clothes… Bloody hell Pet… but you are beautiful” And then without conscious thought he was in game face and growled, “Mine.”

A shocked Spike heard “Yours” and his demon settled, apparently completely satisfied, and his remaining humanity also rejoiced. Spike pulled them both onto the settee, lay on his back and pulled the faerie over him

Xander felt strange, *utterly* connected to Spike and unafraid when the game face had emerged. And now he felt…powerful as he lay on his lover and covered them both with his wings in a simple act of quiet comfort.

Spike swiftly released them both from the confines of clothes causing their nether regions to be exposed and together but there seemed no imperative to copulate or even tease. It now felt like sheer comfort, natural, grounding, more than that… reassuring like a mother’s hug.

Spike felt the hot tears falling and smelt the salt.

“C’mon honey… Luv… Pet… What’s all this? What have I done now? Already said sorry… Already…”

Xander sniffed hard – not for dramatic effect – he just needed to. “I umm, Don’t say sorry… I’m just… G#$% Spike… I’ve never felt like this before… and not the faerie thing… that’s just… And me getting off on feeling you well when I was… well I’m not going to apologise, you were there and… But now it’s… I can *feel* you… I mean *really* feel you. And I’ve got my wings and tail and I just wish we could find a way to… be… Gahhh Spike it’s all I want… what I *need* now. I want to be real, for you to bite me, take me whenever you… Oh G#@$... Do you think we’ve messed this up for Willow? I mean me biting you and…”

Spike wrapped his arms around the larger man – including his wings in the hug, forcing Xander to relax his head onto the pillow and allowing him to finish crying in private, “Shhh Pet, my fault anyway. Still a demon – can’t help that… would have happened sooner or later. Now why don’t we just meet with Red an’ her batgirl and sort us a solution to all this. Got us a right nice table booked an’ we’ll do the adult thing yeah? Hey… C’mon Pet, chin up an’ no more tears, or I’ll never get the mascara onto those pretty lashes.”

The last statement was silly and Xander snorted but belatedly realised that Spike was actually serious and did indeed emphasise his pretty partner’s lashes with thick black mascara.

They met Willow and Lacie in the lobby and Willow invoked a glamour that saw only his wings and tail disappear. Now with the mid length leather coat, tight fitting jeans, long hair and makeup, the other patrons (and the maitre de) assumed him a USA rockstar of some description, indeed his companion decked in leather and bleached hair looked like Billy Idol and the two women all in black were obviously part of some singing group.

They were treated as such and left alone as requested by Spike on the far back corner table, bar for the sweet young waitress who, at the end of the night asked in broken English for their autographs. Spike grinned and obliged signing ‘Viva Equador e’ Estelle… Billy Idol’.

Their bill was halved, they promised to return the following night and the manager asked very politely if they might even agree to a short show for the patrons (free accommodation and upgrade to the presidential suite of course).

Willow, Lacie and Xander were entirely stunned when Spike simply said, “Sure – but we’re here on hols. You got a guitar?”

The following night all three were further amazed as Spike, William the Bloody, former bad poet, ensouled vampire, sang a series of rock ballads into a hurriedly rigged microphone, playing electrically enhance guitar… well like a pro! The final piece was introduced as ‘Requerdos with poet’ and was a complex demonstration of classical Spanish guitar with Spike reciting a poem of Yates in his wonderful baritone over the top. It brought the audience of diners to their feet and had the manager in tears.

Spike then politely bowed to the applause, acknowledged the manager and left jerry rigged spotlight.

Xander could not believe it… When had his vampire learned the guitar?? Three hours to ‘get back up to speed’ in the hotel room then *this*?!

Willow and Lacie were moved into the hotel also – on the manager’s insistence, and there were no more bills to pay. Spike promising to play again on the Saturday, provided there was some sort of ‘lead up act’. 

It was all too bizarre but it did buy them some time to work on the spell, meanwhile Xander’s ‘tucking against the lover’ experience became even more strange. Something was definitely happening to way the picture worked.

 

Part 6

Now whenever his picture was close to his dear lover, Xander found himself not just hard, but rolling towards the muscular body and with his wings at full extension. He held off with the ‘release’ until the instant he was revealed, though the last two times his spell was broken, he was rather embarrassed that his nether regions were less than… but he had been thinking and rubbed against and…

Saturday night saw Spike again singing for the packed crowd. As promised by the manager, there was a local group of ‘lads’ who were thrilled to take ‘the gig’, and even stayed to back some of the songs. Spike was most gracious and acknowledged their fairly average efforts – though the lead guitarist was wonderful and the drummer no harm either and Willow did note that Spike included two David Bowie, two Billy Idol and even one Queen number but this time surprised that the young talented guitar in the backing group joined him note for note in all in ‘challenge’ with several of the best known riffs from the ‘charts’ in the USA. 

And what happened was magic. The two duelled for a time, Spike holding back his demon as the ‘kid’ took him deliberately to his limits musically. The ‘playoff’ ended with a series of some of the best known and loved riffs and solos from the world rock charts and had the audience on their feet cheering.

The manager was ecstatic, his restaurant was overflowing, and he had opened the doors to any passers by attracted by the show. His poor bartender was at the point of exhaustion as more and more patrons poured in the door, he was even forced to send out an emergency call to the next hotel for more glasses, tapping three more barrels of ‘cerveza’, and finishing the twelve dozen bottles of Chilean red ‘house’ wine by half way through the night.

Xander had been ‘illustrated’ with eyeliner, nail paint and a very ‘seventies Glam’ look, added to by Willow’s glamour… but the latter began to fade half way through the night as Xander sent more and more love through their link and fed his partner (unseen) at the break, but no one seemed to notice as, at the end of the night, Spike put his hand over the mike, turned to the wonderful young guitarist and said, “Signature tune mate… know ‘Requerdos’?” The young man brightened, nodded enthusiastically and moved to sit beside the English rocker. 

“Any good at it?” He shrugged (not quite understanding the English) Spike saw the confusion and shifted to stilted Spanish, “Duet?” 

The boy nodded again and waited for Spike’s nod to start. The resulting lilting, heart wrenching tune – this time without poem – was a duet that had both audience and even the band standing with applause at the end. And as Spike turned in a gracious gesture and acknowledged Emilio for his efforts he also whispered, “Thanks… Ave ya got an album?”

Emilio really didn’t speak enough English, and Spike didn’t add the translation but the boy interpreted the comment as a compliment, smiled, nodded enthusiastically and enjoyed the applause. It would not be his last time at this venue, and the newspaper the next day announced “Guayaquil’s next big thing… Emilio e la Remanos’”, spoke of their association with Britain’s best rocker on the impromptu performance, and naming Emilio’s band and the hotel/restaurant as the ‘unexpected nightspot of the moment’. 

Xander was so moved by the final piece and the loving look from Spike as the vampire finished the piece that his wings began to extend. Willow touched him quietly but it was no good. She had never seen her friend in tears before, not like this.

This was love incarnate. She stood on his left and Lacie took her cue and stood right both concealing at least a little of the wings – or making them look like part of the show from ‘their group’, Willow could not regain control of the glamour, no matter how hard she tried. At the end he simply pushed back into the shadows as far as he could, the wings folding in shame. Willow kissed him, Lacie hugged… but he… Spike wasn’t there.

A few rather drunk patrons noted the funny bumps and swore they saw some weirdo groupie wearing wings and a tail sliding past in the darkened hall with their entertainer’s group to find the lift at the end of the night, but none really took much notice. Costumes were what showbiz was all about…

Spike finally ‘got away’ from the patrons (and several too many beers ‘on the house’ with the band) and joined the others upstairs. Willow and Lacie had headed to their rooms, but Xander had waited up and seemed a more little agitated as Spike entered.

He propped the borrowed guitar by the door and proceeded to take his lover in his arms, but was surprisingly pushed away.

“’S the matter Pet? ‘ve I done sommit wrong?”

Xander shook his head with frustration, “I… um… I broke the spell… towards the end I broke it… it itches and I… Please! Before…”

Spike was instantly up close and hugging his partner again – this time with fangs and Xander exposed his neck and silently hoped the offer would be taken. Glamour and sketches be damned… they were horrid things when undone in such a fashion, and Xander only had a few more minutes before the picture spell *had* to be invoked.

Spike took the offer of blood while stroking his lover to fast completion then spoke the words, and his dear one begged with his eyes as he was again condemned to his parchment. 

This time the sepia figure had a look of sadness that had not been there before. The seductive stance was there as ever, the pretty wings, the flowing hair and tail, but the eyes with their long lashes, now looked out with *such* a measure of longing as to break anyone’s heart that observed, particularly his mate’s. The obvious tear tracking down the pretty faerie’s cheek was the kicker.

Consequently Spike began drinking – half the free bottle of Chivas Regal from the ‘house’ went the way of several bottles of beer… and it was a tearful Spike that arrived on Willow’s doorstep at 2am, knocking as quietly as preternatural desperation would allow, then simply pushed the door open, his adored in the plastic cover taped with gaffer tape tightly to his chest.

Willow was in bed with Lacie. Luckily their mutual pleasure had been delayed until morning (due to exhaustion), but the nude cuddle was obvious and swiftly broken as their grief stricken (rather inebriated) vampire burst in and fell to his knees in front of her side of the bed.

“*Please*… *Please*… Oh… Red I’ve claimed him… and now he can change his picture an’ now all I can see is he’s sad… an’ I can’t… we need to touch… we need to *touch* an’ I can’t… an he’s *so* sad! Red… you an your bit o’ muff here (no offence luvvvv) *Help*!!!! Bloody ex-Watcher Wanker… ssssaid… Oh I can’t… Xan… Xan!”

With the second appeal for Xander, Spike, still on his knees, tore off the gaffer tape fixing the picture to his chest in one action and lifted the picture to kiss it drunkenly, hardly registering that the act had also removed skin leaving two stripes of raw flesh on his chest seeping his own blood. The act invoked his demon instantly and he roared his frustration and distress.

Lacie was terrified but Willow knew what to do. She froze the two immediately, Xander in sepia for preservation, and Spike in full, very real vampire form for his own (and their) safety. 

After an hour of more frantic research in the presence of the rather distressing sight of vampire ‘statue’ in the middle of the room, it was Lacie who suggested it. Willow kissing her soundly and commenting “I love you so much! That’s brilliant. It *has* to work! And it will buy us more time… Goddess! We *will* find a way eventually… we…we have to!”

Lacie returned the kiss passionately and rubbed her body against her beautiful older lover. “We always do. You saved the world, remember? Changed the Slayer situation forever… and the covens in Peru? Where would High Mistress Catalina be without you reversing that stupid spell her coven had put on itself!?”

Willow leant against her partner heavily and simply whispered, “I know… but this is Xander… and Spike… and you know them now too but Xander… well the human version, I have known for my *whole life*. I *have* to do this Lace! We have to…”

Lacie simply cut off the conversation by kissing her again then pulling away, squeezing her hand tight and they both reversed the freeze spell.

Spike had been aware of the conversation the entire time, as had Xander though his pose on paper had not changed.

Spike immediately dropped out of game face and apologised… sort of.

Ten minutes later…

“I need to *what*?”

“It’s just temporary – until we can make the reverse arrangement… well make Xander corporeal… for good… Spike *stop* growling!”

“Reckon you chits jus’ wanna see two beautiful blokes goin’ at it is all… How cant you guarantee the illustration will stay safe – don’t fancy bein’ torn ta pieces or burned *this* time around.”

Willow now looked at him with a very tired expression, “You *know* we will keep you safe. Now are you…”

“Course… Bloody give anythin’ a go… jus’ don’t like all the use of mojo is all an’ thought we might have it sorted by now… you know the other way… him bein a real boy/faerie… whatever…” Spike hung his head for a moment then gently picked up the image of his beloved, “Where do you need us?”

On the king sized bed of the best suite in the hotel Xander was called from his parchment, the plan was explained. Despite his embarrassment at making love in front of his oldest friend and her partner, as soon as Spike began to caress his inner thigh, stroke the wings, fist his erection and kiss him hard… well what was a faerie to do?

Xander pushed Spike onto his back then, under the ‘cover’ of his wings, he lowered himself onto Spike’s rock hard member and began to ride.

Spike was in bliss but managed to look over to Willow as he and his mate joined and simply said, “Now.”

Willow and Lacie invoked Xander’s spell and now the paper sported the picture of a faerie making love to another beautiful male figure.

 

Part 7

Xander and Spike lay joined on their parchment for a full day. Their mating link firing constantly but Willow and Lacie had not tucked them away, so they were on show in the middle of the table with no chance to move as the two witches poured over their texts in an effort to find a solution.

Thankfully Spike was now apparently sun proof and Xander felt the joy through their mating link as the sun touched Spike’s illustrated face in the late afternoon. At 2am the two witches gave in to exhaustion the lights went out and they were left alone to properly consummate their love once again, both so aroused that it only took Xander to arch up a little, his wings at full span before Spike filled Xander’s illustrated body and Xander splattered his own seed onto Spike’s chest, though in the morning there would be but a tiny ‘watermark’ on the picture. 

They remained joined but now it was for comfort and quiet petting. For the next few hours Spike stroked the magnificent wings, the face, his claim mark, the thick curly hair. He brushed a gentle finger over the peak of the pointed ears, and ran both hands down the spine to the tail. One hand on the top, one hand underneath, he caressed the appendage and its silky locks again and again. Xander was almost in a trance as he let the rhythmic stroking take him, belatedly aware that his manhood was twitching and at full mast.

After nearly an hour, Xander had dripped precum in a significant pool on Spike’s belly and came back to full awareness

“Oh G#$% Spike… Please…”

Spike continued the strokes on the underside of Xander’s tail but also began to thrust up and used the other hand to reach between them and take Xander in hand. 

Xander came once more and immediately felt a second round of cool seed fill him. Both lay sated and as Willow and Lasie returned to the study, there was no need to move – they were already in position, Xander lying on top of his friend, ‘impaled’, but the two witches both did note the blissful smiles on the men’s faces, a shift from the original anguished look.

 

There was little to say in the end. Both were tired and distressed by the return to their illustrated state but less so than the first time, and were slightly shocked when Willow tucked them into two of the love Sonnets 53 and 54 by Shakespeare. William/Spike was annoyed as much as faerie Xander was amused – it was payback for the many times Spike had tucked him into texts that were designed to arouse or make a point, and this was whimsical and beautiful, and Willow was sending them both a message. But the reality was that they were still both joined and aroused and… and…

It was a full three days before Willow reversed the spell. She and Lacie absenting themselves from the room as the two came and pulled apart with a rather undignified ‘plop’ and consequent collapse. Then rejoined as the pages were opened and the spell revoked.

After the chanting the two witches had made tea and had their own amorous moment, and finally the two males were up and dressed… at least in pants, though Xander’s were somewhat ‘Jerry-rigged’ to accommodate his tail. It was mainly the front he was worried about, so Spike and he had cut away the whole back end of his jeans and used a belt instead. It went comfortably *over* his tail, and looked perfectly normal at the front… well as normal as a bare-chested, extremely buffed, six foot faerie wearing jeans, with a 12ft wing span, tail and pointy ears could ever look!

They presented themselves similarly bare-chested at Willow’s door. She and Lacie were in deep discussion.

“So Red… What’ya got for us?

“Umm Yup … Some good news I hope… well good so long as you two are happy… you know being as you are.”

Xander may not have been in his original human form, but did understand the question on all of its levels. “And that means?

“It means no more changes. It means we ‘let you out’ then burn the parchment. But it also means… Xan it means you will be like this forever… At least until Spike, well until… there’s dust. Then you will dust too.”

Xander didn’t even slow down, simply turned to his partner and mumbled “Do it.”

They kissed passionately then the two stood in a desperate, quiet embrace while the spell was invoked and the parchment set alight, both still convinced that this might be their last moment.

The Latin was easy enough for Spike to understand – the gist of it being a reversal of a curse and returning the ‘body to the current realm for all time’.

There was no bright flash or dramatic change, just the paper burning to dust and the faerie in his arms… staying in his arms! 

There would be no more parchment days. What was now, was forever. All the vampire could muster was “Ohhh” before falling into game face and grazing his partner’s neck lightly then begin to suckle as they hugged even tighter and hoped. He pulled apart for a moment to mark his own neck with a sharp nail and rejoice as his faerie latched on and drank of him. This was no ordinary partnering. 

As William/Spike and Xander slept, Willow and Lacie collapsed into their own embrace, utterly spent from the spell.

Xander was now *really* part of the fae and also Mated to a Master Vampire. His signature called to all brethren in the region – as did their raw mating signal. 

The following night, unbeknownst to the owner, the hotel was visited by more magical folk than had been in the city for years… all peacefully paying their respects, curious as to the pulse through the magical fabric and honoured to be in the presence of such an unusual faerie. Some blessed the new couple… the vampires came to pay tribute to a legendary Master. All left peacefully – though there may have been some local drunkards a few streets away finding themselves some pints short of alive.

Spike was comfortable with the vampire interaction – old hat really and his Spanish was not so bad – though his accent was mainland Spain rather than Southern America… all too harsh!

But Xander found the other fae utterly amazing! Tiny faeries, wood and water nymphs, tributes from the sea it was all a little overwhelming... To realize that he truly had become one of them… was extraordinary and took some time to process. 

He’d lived with the wings and the ears and the tail for months, even years, he wasn’t really sure, but to be *real* permanently, to have others recognize and welcome him, to realise he had a magical signature was consistent with his appearance… was just a little overwhelming. Internally he still felt sort of like Xander, the Scoobie, the man, but now he was truly a faerie, mated to a vampire. He had wings capable of lifting them into the sky to make love and a heart that begged for his vampire to agree to join with him at any moment. 

And after all the fuss… he felt strong arms circle him from behind, not in lust but for love, then a beloved baritone said, “C’mon Pet, been a long night, reckon those feathers could do with a strokin’.”

With that the faerie Xander let himself be led to bed, relaxing on his side, his wings comfortably folded and was literally stroked to sleep.

 

Two weeks later saw the four in regional Peru again. The decision to return to England had been made but this time it would have to be in night stages and with a glamour for Xander. Willow contacted the council, Andrew in particular. For all his quirky ways he still had a great deal of influence. There would be a private plane, flying at night, so long as they could get to Miami in two days.

They farewelled Willow and Lacie… there were no words… but Spike opened his wrist gave of himself to each witch… and as Xander’s wings expanded then gently folded to envelope his age old friend as Willow cried a little, hugged him and sent a blessing that both he and Spike be safe. And they would need all the help they could get as they tried to get through Immigration/Customs in Miami.

Xander’s glamour was fine until they got to Miami, but separated from his mate since Spike’s passport was a UK/European one and his was USA, spelt trouble.

Spike was in a long line and well back as he was asked to explain his Sunnydale heritage – given that it was now a ‘no go zone’ due to earthquakes and such. He did his best but as his nervousness rose, his grip on the glamour diminished. Thankfully it was only his ears and tail that emerged – the former covered by rather long curly brunette locks, the latter uncomfortably, painfully extending into his jeans. 

In the end, all was well and though his shoulders itched, he did not ‘sprout’ and was admitted through, picking up their luggage by the time Spike emerged from the crowd. Their luggage was scanned and on exit they were met by Damon – Spike immediately read minion… and how the heck the Council now employed vampires he would never know!

They were led to a car and then driven to a hanger area in a second, private airport.

They were to land in Philadelphia for refuelling and an Immigration/Customs check as they left the country, but essentially the trip was hassle free. And *finally* Xander relaxed. He let the glamour drop and opting for lying face down on the couch as soon as they were at cruising height, wings now exposed, tail free and both relaxed over a sleeping faerie.

Spike too eventually snuggled under the faerie’s pretty wings and both slept until the crew announced their arrival at Gatwick. 

The glamour was again invoked but only lasted as far as the old VW van that the coven members picked them up in.  
………………

The reception at the coven was literally a breath taking one – the breathing on the part of the coven members. Xander was beautiful, his white magical energy strong enough to cause some of the younger members to be quite overcome. His Mated Master and Ensouled Vampire was equally powerful though with dark power. Like in Peru, it drew every fae creature in the region to the coven. Even as they stood waiting to see the High Mistress, close to a hundred creatures were at the wide southern windows begging for entry, their only barrier, the wards.

As they entered the Mistress’s inner sanctum, Andrew flew at Spike and Giles sat heavily on the couch as he all but passed out recognizing the former boy he all but treated as a son.

Xander looked with wanting at his partner but addressed his ageing teacher, his friend, the ex-Watcher as he knelt at his feet, there was no option as sitting on a lounge suite was utterly out of the question with his wings.

“It was my choice Giles. In the end it was my choice. And Willow made it work… She took the spell adjusted it and… now it’s real.”

Giles was all but overwhelmed, “Oh my dear boy! But how can you… how is this even possible?”

“Willow thinks it is the mating… we fixed it by mating.”

“You and Willow?”

“Me and Spike… Lovingly and gently and oh *G#$* Giles! I, we… we’re partners, Mated partners… in the Vampire slash Faerie tradition – although it’s not that much!”

Giles pulled off his glasses and looked extremely tired. “Yes I *do* understand … completely and utterly… and for you now… I see that you have made… choices and Mated? Yes…wonderful… just give me a moment.”

Xander’s improved hearing was unneeded as Giles excused himself, retreated to the kitchen and blew his nose then took a few deep breaths before re-entering the room.

“Xander you are now one of the ‘other’ and are very powerful. But do be careful how you use that power – I umm… I wish I had better advice but… um… the fae are not really on the Watchers’ dial as they are all white energy… but you… you are Mated to the dark, it’s extraordinary! Extraordinary.”

“Yeah well that just me Silly XtraXanMan… could be a movie in it don’t you think? Anyways… onward and upward, got a boyfriend to treat.” The grin was very worthy of Spike and as Xander stepped to the door, spread his wings, and took off for the stars Giles again gave in to grief, though this time it was confused. The boy he knew had indeed died and what had come back was so changed, but still… still the jovial loving Xander was all there. The old Watcher could not really grieve and the tears were also those of genuine happiness.

Xander flew easily across many a hedgerow, simply enjoying the sensation of power once again, but returned as he felt the pull of his Mate, Spike answering the High Mistress’s insistence that he and his Mate unite and ‘contribute’ to the coven energy for the winter solstice…

 

FYI  
SONNET 53  
What is your substance, whereof are you made,  
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?  
Since every one hath, every one, one shade,  
And you, but one, can every shadow lend.  
Describe Adonis, and the counterfeit  
Is poorly imitated after you;  
On Helen's cheek all art of beauty set,  
And you in Grecian tires are painted new:  
Speak of the spring and foison of the year;  
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,  
The other as your bounty doth appear;  
And you in every blessed shape we know.  
In all external grace you have some part,  
But you like none, none you, for constant heart.

SONNET 54  
O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem  
By that sweet ornament which truth doth give!  
The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem  
For that sweet odour which doth in it live.  
The canker-blooms have full as deep a dye  
As the perfumed tincture of the roses,  
Hang on such thorns and play as wantonly  
When summer's breath their masked buds discloses:  
But, for their virtue only is their show,  
They live unwoo'd and unrespected fade,  
Die to themselves. Sweet roses do not so;  
Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odours made:  
And so of you, beauteous and lovely youth,  
When that shall fade, my verse distills your truth.

William Shakespeare

 

PART 8

He slowed his flight, only to see his Mate outside the coven, looking frantically for his form.

Spike literally fell to his knees in relief as he saw his Mate and felt the full force of love pushing through the Mating link.

Xander did likewise. The two in an embrace that was beyond… The other curious coven members were ushered away by Mistress Brianna… But she did leave the music on, a lovely classical suite… It was perfect… Spike fell into game face and released two red tinged tears… and Xander too found the moment profoundly moving. 

On a whim he grabbed his dear vampire and instinctively headed for the stars…

He knew of Spike’s remaining fear of heights but pushed his dear one’s chin skyward… and the meteor shower was on queue… and the… oh G#$%... the sex was amazing!!! And their joining coincided with the end of the ‘solstice’ and the coven all felt it. With the meteor shower came a shower of power from the two, balanced, black and white magic perfectly paired. It blanketed the coven and soaked into the earth.

Mistress Brianna simply smiled up and whispered as she felt the boost, “That’s it… Gaia will be pleased…”

Spike ‘flew’… but Xander felt it as he waned a little, both sated, drained of magic and (truthfully) rather shaky from the flight. Broad wings gentled them both to the ground on the soft grass in front of the coven.

Spike was on his back, nude, fast falling out of game face, covered by Xander and wings and G$^%! He had never expected this! He wondered that he deserved it… the feeling of being loved, partnered by…

Xander felt the confusion, “Please! Shhhh… Just…” He pushed recently used nether regions together, “…Relax and … Ohhh…” Spike had indeed relaxed and was now stroking the feathers of his dear faerie’s wings. The only thing stopping further copulating was the twenty or so tiny female faeries giggling audibly from the nearby bushes as the vampire and their bigger cousin kissed passionately.

Moment lost, Spike broke off and yelled “Oi you lot vamoose! Two chaps tryin’ to have a snog in *private*! If ya all don’t mind!” 

The giggles continued but became fainter and a grinning Xander lifted off his partner then whispered, “Just amusing the rellies… But… for both… umm Spike… can you face me for a while… I… it will… Geez Spike we have to get inside and we’re both… well we’re in the raw!”

Spike grinned and tilted his head as though to expose his neck then pressed a *very* interested erection against Xander’s recovering one. “Sure pet… put on a waltz and let’s us give em a *real* show!” He pulled the faerie close and was pleased to hear muffled groans and badly concealed sighs from the surrounding bushes. 

Spike began to stroke the tail and lick Xander’s left pointed ear gently. He felt the interest rising but chose to use his other hand to hold his fae friend and stroke the juncture of his wings… sensitive enough to make a hardened member jerk against Spike’s own erection.

Xander instinctively reached down and began to stroke his pale counterpart, in the process stroking himself. Spike’s game face came without intent, and the bite was instinctive… but the release was bliss and both cool and warm seed mixed between them as they relaxed onto the ground, their nude forms covered by Xander’s wings… almost (Xander’s tail thankfully covered the rest). 

Once both recovered a little, they registered heavy panting and nervous groans from the bushes around them. It seemed they weren’t the only ones ‘in the moment’.

Mistress Brianna was a stickler for detail and all the coven soon learned that Master Spike was equally meticulous (much to the initial surprise of Giles though now it was a given). What surprised them all was the Faerie Xander’s ability to organize, his experience in construction and ensuing years… and his changed status, found him easily able to work with a wide variety of fae folk, magical creatures, and coven members, using his ability keep a plethora of details and requirements regarding the preparations at his cognitive command.

Spike was trapped in the shadows watching his beloved busy organizing the decorating of the newly erected marquee when the Mistress Brianna pulled him aside for a quiet word. 

“He is rather wonderful at this isn’t he.”

“Always was Mistress, even before Sunnydale crashed and burned he was.”

“I need to discuss something of importance with you.”

“Sounds ominous, problems afoot?”

“Not as yet, but I do feel we need to train your dear Mate in the fae traditions and afford him magic lessons if he is to survive and thrive for the duration of your partnership. Many a warlock or fae trader would have him amongst their collection, indeed his magical signature has already garnered attention from the darker realm.”

“Can’t see as how him bein’ able to cast a spell or two is gonna change that? ‘Sides I’ll protect him, the boy’s an innocent…”

“That’s nonsense and you know it! William he *must* be taught or his magic will not only go to waste it will be plundered by others. He is bound to you, yes, but for your paths to remain as one you *must* allow him to study with his own kind.”

“And just what kind might that be? Some changed ex Scoobie trapped and illustrated for the viewing pleasure of…”

The Mistress put her hand on Spike’s shoulder and he felt the truth even before she spoke, “You know he is truly one of the fae now. You can feel it, as can the entire coven. Let him have that in full. You will not lose him William, indeed your mating would not allow it, even if you wished it so.”

“So what… I teach him a few tricks and Bob’s your uncle? Surely…”

“He will need to attend lessons in the twilight under the copse at the bottom of the market garden with the other fae. A couple of hours a night will see him still able to accompany you and participate in your ::ahem:: other activities. Should you refuse, he could fall foul of darker creatures, or worse miscast a spell unwittingly and injure the innocent. His first lessons must be to alter his size and if not then to conceal his true visage with a self made glamour.” Mistress Brianna reached for Spike’s hand and held fast. “Do not be alarmed dear William. You are welcome to accompany him – indeed I know a couple of faerie elders who would welcome your counsel when it comes to the darker elements of power.”

And so it was. The following evening saw vampire and full sized faerie walking hand in hand, rather sheepishly (truth be known) down to the bottom of the garden. Even with his night vision Spike stumbled a little in the moonless dark.

“This is bloody ridiculous! May as well be Pooh Bear lookin’ for the North Pole!”

“Spike *please* Shhhh! You know what Brianna said… Polite and contrite… and…” Xander’s voice wavered a little. “It might be the only chance I have now… now I’m not a sketch… but instead a… Spike what if she was wrong… what if they don’t accept me… what am I then?!!!”

Spike fell instantly into game face and rounded on the tearful Xander, “You are my beautiful mated lover is what and don’t you sodding well forget it! Now just shut your trap and let’s find these rellies of yours.”

Three more tentative steps forward and the very earth seemed to shift.

Spike and Xander felt rather nauseous and William the Bloody may have blacked out for a moment but both came to aware that they were surrounded by a host of fae creatures, wings fanning gently and curious wide eyes inspecting their newest additions to the colony. 

There was one profound difference. Spike (aka ‘William’ that the faeries kept chanting) was of normal stature, his dear Mate was… but six or seven inches high!

Preternatural hearing allowed Spike to register the reason, whilst ever so gently stroking the wings and tiny tail on his unconscious Mate.

A rather portly, wood nymph, the height of Spike’s splayed hand spoke. “We have helped him with the change. We simply cannot have his full size in the meeting place – you must understand. We cannot, however, shift your size without your permission – black magic, rules, that sort of thing… So… do you wish to participate as you are or are you prepared to…?

A rather groggy Spike simply said, “What’s the catch?”

“The what?”

“The catch you daft bint! The catch!? I turn into a frog or worse… dust… or get meself…”

The older nymph chuckled rather indulgently, “Oh William, you are *so* amusing. Of course there is no catch! You are *family*…”

“Yeah heard that before – certain bloke called Angelus… ‘Family’ can mean anything… Vampire… Remember?!” He shifted to game face momentarily just for effect. “What have you *done* to my Mate… the boy?”

The aging green coloured faerie stood her ground despite the display, “Oh William?! You need not worry about your dear heart. He will regain his stature in the morning – but also needs to learn the shift for himself… He is at risk otherwise. The dear love… You are so good to have given him the gifts of his kind and a Mate… would all our number be as such, when so young an age!”

Spike was confused and more than a little distressed. He had claimed Xander, they had exchanged vows, the vampire laws were clear. They would be together until either expired, but now… now was unknown territory. Xander was asleep on a nearby bed of leaves and… barely longer than Spike’s hand wrist to middle finger tip.

He caressed the edge of the far smaller wings, wings he knew so well in their larger form and dropped all pretence of being in control; being pleased his beloved had found his place; being anything but grief stricken. Once again a lover to whom he had pledged all, had departed and as his Mate was not dead… he knew he would have the privilege, like before, of living on and on without… He took his hand from his loved one, so recently love and so recently (it seemed) lost, then curled up hugged his knees and bit his own wrist in a desperate effort to feel some comfort… or anything.

Spike was so caught up in his own desperate reverie, he failed to notice that he was being surrounded, that he too was altering – physical pain and the sensation of vertigo subsuming everything. The chanting continued until it was done. Spike and Xander were finally lying together on a satin surface in sweet repose, taking blood of each other as was their instinct. But there was one profound difference. 

Spike woke first, but instead of oblivion or hell as had been his wish prior to sleep, he was in a known beloved embrace. He tried to move his arms but felt as though they were all… wrong. He had to be in a dream but heard familiar giggling then a kindly voice. “Do not worry Master William, Spike, you will only ever manifest wings if they are needed, and even then it will exclusively be in the form of our beloved cousin the Northern European pipistrellus, it is protected throughout Europe, and the need for such a change will only be to do with protecting or assisting your Mate in his smaller form. You may call on it or reverse it by simply chanting the text as we will teach you both.”

Spike looked entirely incredulous and raised a distended hand until his two foot or so wingspan stretched to its maximum, “A *bat*??!! He gets the pretty feathers and I get *bat* features?!! You *have* to be kidding, next you’ll have me wearing a bloody high collared cape and stealing virgins of a ‘mid solstice eve’!!!”

Xander woke a little and couldn’t help himself. He sniggered a little before kissing the nose on the ‘game face’ of his partner.

Spike would have continued the rant but noted the rather downtrodden look on the pretty faerie’s face and relented. The change of heart also directly related to his dearest stroking an outstretched section of the webbing between his… fingers, then kissing the tip of a pointed ear and taking off into a moonlit night. Stimulation warred with mild annoyance and more than a little confusion, as the body he was now in acted on instinct and he felt himself plummet for a moment then lift into the sky to meet his diminutive fae friend mid flight.

What followed was an exploration of their flying ability – Xander finding his wing speed needed to be what seemed like humming bird speed in comparison to his larger manifestation. But he soon adjusted. 

They flew for a time, Spike less able to hover, more circling if anything, and certainly frustrated by the fact that unlike his fae friend with separate wings, his own fingers now formed the infrastructure of his flying apparatus. As a consequence it was up to Xander to do the touching and caressing and all Spike could do was… Oh but why did he have to touch… there! 

They landed shortly after with somewhat of a thud! Both so distracted by the effort of flying and new status that they hardly heard the audience applauding.

Spike, rather embarrassingly, crawled across the floor, hitched his feet onto a low branch in the faerie arena, sound his wings around himself and sulked himself to sleep as Xander began his formal lessons as one of the fae.

Spike roused now and then but essentially gave in to his natural inclination to sleep during the day, hugged himself and snoozed (at least the latter felt normal!). The one thing that was consistent as he gave in to the sandman, was the love that flowed between he and Xander… and the reassurance from the Mistress that all would be well.

The newly miniaturised faerie was initially distressed by his dearest heart’s sudden transformation, but immediately reassured as they touched then he watched his lover sleep, apparently comfortably, in his current form, as the faerie began his lessons.

Xander had never counted himself a fast study, but conducted himself like the A+ student he was always capable of being as he joyfully took on the lessons of his cousins in the first of many tutorials.

Over the next six weeks Xander spent four of every seven nights in his smaller form studying under the stern eye of Giselle, a grey haired though still pretty faerie who commanded enormous respect from all quarters. Spike chose to change sometimes but was still uncomfortable in his ‘bat’ form, instead choosing to ‘go kill the baddies’ then hold vigil near the copse where the faeries congregated until Xander was restored to his ‘life sized’ self.

Spike never became tired of the huge wing span, the toned legs and muscular torso and arms; never tired of the ‘come hither’ dark brown eyes that beckoned him, or the neck exposed willingly; and he never, ever, failed to take joy in their love making… be it ‘hard core’ or simple petting.

But something niggled… it was as though they were marking time. Sure Xander was learning and becoming stronger magically all the time. The transitions (for both of them truth beknown!) were easier and on command. But something was afoot, noone spoke of it but they all felt the disquiet…

Part 9

 

One more round of the copse was all it took to reassure the little pipistrelle bat that all was as it should be. 

Xander was making the change from large to small so easily these days that he hardly seemed to notice. And it never ceased to amaze Spike that the smaller form was still in love with him, even as he shifted to the ‘bat features’ and non opposable thumbs of his own smaller form. Of an evening he would make a decision to either patrol in the local area for ‘nasties’ in his vampire form or switch and increasingly take joy in flight and the last few sun’s rays allowing pipestrelle instinct to take over.

Regardless of form or size they always met again in the wee hours of morning at the door of their abode beside the main coven building as the light of dawn signalled a new day. It was still amazing to Spike that his… their life had shifted so far in but two plus years of being together – and the anniversary of one at the coven.

And yet, almost one year at the coven, post Willow’s intervention and consequent changes, Spike had never felt such happiness.

He now had a sense of belonging, a deep and true sense of being loved utterly by a man, nae faerie, who loved him back particularly when they were both ‘large’. And of late (only in the last month or two) the odd comfort to be also able to change to a smaller form, even if only to enjoy the dying embers of the suns touch so sadly missed for one hundred and sixty years or so, and observe his beloved thriving in his now true form. The only difference between his smaller fae cousins being Xander’s rather magnificent tail (ever the cause of amusement and ‘naughty touching’!)

They were accepted, in either of their forms, by coven members, Watchers, Slayers, and all fae folk ‘in the know’, even the local pipestrelle population didn’t seem to object to the occasional encounter with his tiny form. Sometimes late afternoon was spent with the ladies (and few gents) of the coven discussing one or more spells and accessing his expertise borne of one hundred and sixty or so years of vampire existence. 

Of late, mornings were always for them, spent in slumber or love making, either was welcome and since the winter solstice, included hours of Spike using an antique brush (a gift from the Mistress Willow) to stroke and caress the now very long hair of the dark chocolate mane of slightly curly hair that stretched to Xander’s waist and matching tail of a metre plus when he was full sized. Sated, showered and a very relaxed Xander would normally make a few groans of replete joy then promptly fall asleep. Spike would inevitably move to spoon his sleeping Xander from behind and fall asleep whilst stroking the gossamer feathers of one or other beautiful wing that inevitably spread over them both, or if Xander happened to roll onto his back in slumber Spike would stroke the inside of the wing and never failed to thank whatever deity had gifted him with such a wonderful turn in his long unlife, before relaxing entirely into the warmth of the sated, slumbering man he loved so utterly. 

In the late afternoon they would both rise. Discussions of the night ahead and decisions about Spike changing were ‘old hat’ these days. Promises of undying love were never missing from the dialogue, and Spike had started to enjoy his ‘other’ form, though still supressed the natural diet of the pipestrelle though. Bat wings, distended fingers between wing segments, and the penchant for hanging upside down with firm grip through his toes was one thing, but eating bugs was not amongst his finest moments, instinctive newly found tastes were to blame. 

The little body he apparently now inhabited for the last almost twelve months, demanded that he captured and ate all manner of moths and bugs, but instead of the two or three thousand a night reported by studiers of biology tracking his smaller state, he kept it to ‘tens’ only. 

Forgoing the tiny body’s needs on a nightly basis, and taking instead three or four willingly donated bags of ‘out-dated’ blood when he returned to his larger vampire state in their shared apartment at the coven, or snacking from a soon-to-be-dust, hapless young fledge at some local cemetery or three were preferred post pipestrelle form.

But this night he had made the change and did one more, quick circle, aware that it was unnatural for his kind, his new form, to be out so early, just as it was unnatural that the faeries were out so close to sunset. But since it was the Summer Solstice, they almost had a duty to the time of rejoicing, and the extra boost of magic from the coven made it a given. He changed and took off into the evening shortly after a goodbye kiss from Xander as he shifted.

Spike observed briefly, in the dying light of late afternoon, that his tiny friend Xander was again enjoying his studies in the company of his (not so new anymore) faerie cousins as they began to hone their magicks and their flying skills in the apparent safety of the copse with its thick cover of nettles and mid level canopy.

It was a delightful scene. Giggles and a game of aerial tag seemed be on the offing before they began their night of more serious studies. The tiny Xander landed on a lower branch of an old fuchsia tree, pausing for a moment, mid game, to look up, squinting into the red sky of evening to spot his changed lover on the wing circling. He gave the little bat a blinding grin filled with love and waved and winked before flitting off to re-join the fun.

Then he heard, no felt, the unnatural shriek of terror from somewhere closer to home than he would ever have wished.

He flew toward the sound on instinct, it was some way from the coven and the cry of distress was real. He contemplated ‘changing back’, but far too late. As he rounded for a second fly past to establish the source of noise, his small form was firmly caught, trapped by a spider-thin web of nylon fibres that seemed to wind around every appendage and disable any attempts to disengage.

He could hear various other of his kind calling for help in a tone that no human could hear and felt the vibrations of others so captured. He contemplated changing back and breaking free, but still worried for the members of the faerie circle and his darling Xander in the copse. Were they after the faeries? Had they already captured him? What might the consequences be? How could he help?

He struggled with the implications and his options, then some hour or so later, a pair of strong, yet gentle, hands grabbed him, untangled his tiny form and shoved him into a tough black bag. He managed to bite the hand that untangled him and savoured the human blood for a moment, before a swift jab and his world went totally black.

He awoke sometime the next day, still ensconced in his bag and tried to get his bearings, imagined himself back at the Initiative, but this was different.

“This one has a ring on his right ear.”

“Just measure it, record the dimensions, and collect any faecises”

“But the ring is a standard gold number, like a human earring!”

“Bloody weirdo hippies at that commune no doubt. Probably keep it as a pet or some sort of traditional signpost or whatnot. Look we’re not here to sort out the local populace, simply track these little guys. You want your PhD or what!!!” 

The voice seemed kind, both voices did really, but Spike worried fro his fae friends.

“Look, just do the measurements, grab the scats, and tag the little fellow. We’ll let them all out around sunset. And if it makes you feel any better, they’ve all got their own GPS built in, so if he is ‘owned’ I’m pretty sure he’ll find his way home.”

And with that Spike had a tight band with identifying number, pinched to his back, and a minute tracking chip inserted (painfully) just above his tiny wing. He struggled a little, but without food for at least a day, in either form, it was fruitless.

His tiny form was listless but not unconscious, and he soon learned the reason for their research. The Northern European Pipestrelle was apparently an endangered species, so it was the intent of the research group to breed them in captivity. Except he had the ring. Would the research group release him again, allowing him to go home? And what of his claimed? His Xander? Without regular exchanges of blood… the faerie would fade.

He tried to change in desperation, but the cage he had been placed in was too small, even foetal position he was locked in, so changed back.

He sent a plaintive plea to his beloved to stay away from, wherever he was now and hoped the coven might rally to collect him. 

 

Part 10

 

His head was still not quite right, but as the drugs wore off and he recalled the conversation amongst the study group he recoiled. Who goes trapping bats on the solstice - a bunch of wannabe zoologists from Reading University apparently. He flew straight into the net, panicked and was promptly tossed into a hessian bag, ready for tagging.

They had stretched his wings to measure the span, clipped a tag around his tiny ankle and placed a radio emitter around his neck, and there was nothing he could do bar getting in a good nip to one of the assistants as she held him tight ready for tagging. It was worse than the Initiative! Well meaning bloody humans! He faught for a few moments then simply went limp while they did their ânon invasiveâ measurements, weighed him and marked him, and there was distress radiating in the direction of Xander, but he tried to shut it down. There was no way he would be responsible for revealing the faerie colony. But Xander felt it upon sunrise.

Xander felt the distress and had immediately returned to his larger form and was heading back toward the covern when the tiny bat fell at his feet. He picked it up and carried it, hopeful that the little creature would survive and also aware that the sun was on its way. At least in his bat form Spike was 'sun-proof', though not in his vampire state. The tagging and markings were all new, and made for his smaller form. They bit into his ankle, and had he needed to breathe the tiny transmitter would have near choked him.

Now Xander had a lover to help and needed to do it promptly.

A full sized Xander cradled the tiny figure to his chest and headed for home, knowing they were both racing against the sun and their changes. 

Meredith, a lovely young wiccan and protege of Willow's, met the distressed faerie at the door, ushered him in immediately and called for help.

They cut off the band from Spike's leg and removed the collar. The microchip would have to come out later, for now it was enough, and the change was immediate.

To Xander's relief the first words from his dear mate were, "Taa love, thought I was stuck there for a bit. What about the youngster?"

It was a close call, and the tracer was still in place under his right shoulder blade. The common pipistrelle were reasonably abundant in England, but apparently the Northern not so. Pipistrelles often holed up in barns and the rooves of houses so the coven was a logical place for his daily rest, but his worry was the tracer. Just so long as the university team did not come too close to the faerie abode they were safe for now.

He took his worry to Mistress Brianna after the sun condemned him to the shadows late afternoon, Xander still sleeping in their shared apartment, he quietly sneaked away and knocked on her office door politely.

"Enter"

"Mistress, I wonder if I may have a word."

"William, of course. She bunched up her hair and flung it into a tight bun, fastened with a chopstick. "Is there a problem?"

Spike went through the troubles of the previous night, his capture, and included his concerns for the fae folk, given his now 'tagged' status. 

What ensued was a minimum of discussion before he found himself face down in the infirmary and the tracer removed, tossed into a recycle bin and promptly left for a pickup the following day.

All he could say at the end of the procedure was "Thank you", before lifting himself from the gurney and replacing his clothes.

"Should have me you ladies years ago. Bloody Initiative blokes."

"Ahh but then you would not have wanted our help. William, if the copse is in danger we can do much, but only you can help. Your black magicks afford a different kind of protection to what we can afford. Offer it willingly and all the fae folk will be safe. You are already mated to Xander, now is the time to act."

"Never was one good at magic, Mistress, so might need some guidance here!"

"I will assign someone, one you know and trust, Willow is coming home for a time.."

"Bloody hell, 'scuse me, but she is..."

"The most powerful witch on the planet, and is due back here this month and will make you both safe. I know of her affection for Xander, and you for that matter, but in the mean time you must talk to Xander and to the head of the faerie clan. They must take precautions."

Willow made contact with the coven three days later, she was due to arrive Thursday. And Spike was nervous. He took his small form as Xander did nightly, but chose to fly very close to the coven only, hanging fron various lower limbs of trees and watching as his dear Xander learned and practiced his true form.

He wondered at the Red witch's reaction when she saw Xander in his smaller form.

..............

Look for next chapters soon...

**Author's Note:**

> Though yet to be finished - it will be... in the future.
> 
> Encouragement of the muse is helpful - please let me know if continuation is warranted sooner rather than later


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